San Jose Sharks Enhancing Security With Metal Detectors At SAP Center

ST. LOUIS, MO - APRIL 12: A general view during the National Anthem prior to Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals between the St. Louis Blues and the San Jose Sharks during the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Scottrade Center on April 12, 2012 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

SAN JOSE (CBS SF) — Enhanced security measures will be in place at the SAP Center starting with Tuesday night’s San Jose Sharks game and continuing through the rest of the NHL season and playoffs, a center spokesman said Tuesday morning.

The measures are nothing new; each year, all professional hockey venues in the U.S. and Canada are required by the NHL to increase security during the final weeks of the season as arenas fill up with fans, SAP Center spokesman Jim Sparaco said.

The precautions have been put in place during previous NHL seasons and are returning as the season heads toward the Stanley Cup playoffs, which begin in mid-April, Sparaco said.

“We’ve done these before in the past,” Sparaco said. “It’s the first time we’ve done them this year.”

Fans entering the SAP Center to attend Tuesday night’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes will need to pass through metal detectors and undergo electronic wand screening and pat-down searches, Sparaco said.

All bags will be searched, and center officials recommend that fans leave all unnecessary bags at home or in their cars with the exception of small purses and baby bags, Sparaco said.

The procedures are expected to cause delays for fans entering the arena, and the center suggests that people plan to arrive 15 minutes earlier than normal, he said.